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CNN Live Today
White House: "The Regime is Gone"
Aired April 11, 2003 - 10:18 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: And just about a minute ago we reported that John King had learned from the white house that Ari Fleischer had said -- quote -- "the regime is gone." We've got John King now live from the White House with more. So, John, my question to you is what exactly did he mean by that? The government's gone?
JOHN KING, CNN SR. WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well Paula, it is the first time -- it might appear quite obvious to us watching the reports from Baghdad and other Iraqi cities that Saddam Hussein's regime is no longer in control, but this is the first official statement from the White House saying the regime is gone and that raises important political and military questions for the Bush administration.
Here is what Ari Fleischer said at his morning session with reporters. Quote -- "There is no question the regime has lost control and that represents a great turning point for the people of Iraq, as the regime is gone." Now Ari Fleischer saying that does not mean the war is over. He says there are still some areas of Iraq under the control of Saddam Hussein loyalists and Saddam Hussein's military, so that the fighting will continue.
But certainly from a political standpoint, you remember and President Bush said it himself in that videotaped message to the Iraqi people just yesterday, "When the regime is gone, the United States has promised to step in and provide security, provide humanitarian aid, provide assistance to the Iraqi people until they can stand up a government of their own."
So from the military perspective Ari Fleischer making clear just because the regime is gone, in the view of the White House, that does not mean the war is over. But because the administration is conceding that the regime is gone, there is no central government left in the country of Iraq, the burden is now on the Bush administration to step in, provide security, provide key services and that will be the daunting challenge in the days, weeks and months ahead -- Paula.
ZAHN: So, John, were anybody be able to get more information out of him, whether it is his belief that the top Iraqi leadership is dead or as some people speculate this morning, they've all headed to Saddam Hussein's ancestral birthplace of Tikrit and they're all hold up there and maybe have some kind of last stand plan.
KING: His -- his answer was in response more to a political question, as to is any one running Iraq? The White House says it is chasing various mixed intelligence reports as to the whereabouts of Saddam Hussein and his sons, possibly to the whereabouts of other key military and government leaders inside Iraq.
Tikrit, obviously, a major focus of concern because it is the birthplace of Saddam Hussein and known as a stronghold. You heard General Brooks At the CENTCOM briefing early this morning saying they do believe some of the Iraqi leadership -- they can't say just who -- is trying to move around because of specific fierce fighting along portions of Iraq where they have seen vehicles moving. So they do believe some members of the regime are trying to escape or go into hiding. But here at the White House, they say that is not the critical issue for them. They say that is a Pentagon question. Now that there is no government, one of the concerns, of course, with all of the looting in recent days is to stand up some sort of a security apparatus until they can get this new transitional government up and running. And that is something that could take weeks, if not months.
ZAHN: John, quickly, in closing, I know you don't have a lots of time left. You need to move on. But there was a front story in "USA Today" suggesting that a number of defense and intelligence officials believe that Saddam Hussein died in the second big bombing attack close to that Monsour neighborhood and they even have -- saying a number of senior NFC officials believe he's dead. Any reaction to the White House to that or -- or maybe that specifically, exactly what they're saying today.
KING: We have been exploring just what they're telling the president on that very point and what we are told, by very reliable senior sources, is they are voicing quiet confidence that they did have him targeted at that site.
But they are saying they are stopping short because they do not have any conclusive evidence that Saddam Hussein was killed. They say it remains an open question, some intelligence sources saying they believe they did kill the Iraqi leader, others saying they believe he escaped. They say they simply do not have any conclusive evidence.
We do know this, after that bombing some evidence was taken from that site, extracted from the site and we are told it is being analyzed by U.S. intelligence agencies. So even though the fighting was still going on, somehow the United States, through its intelligence or Special Operations forces, on the ground did extract some evidence on that site that they hope will provide some clues to that, of course, quite critical question, what happened to Saddam Hussein.
ZAHN: John King, thanks so much. John reporting from the White House for us this morning.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired April 11, 2003 - 10:18 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: And just about a minute ago we reported that John King had learned from the white house that Ari Fleischer had said -- quote -- "the regime is gone." We've got John King now live from the White House with more. So, John, my question to you is what exactly did he mean by that? The government's gone?
JOHN KING, CNN SR. WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well Paula, it is the first time -- it might appear quite obvious to us watching the reports from Baghdad and other Iraqi cities that Saddam Hussein's regime is no longer in control, but this is the first official statement from the White House saying the regime is gone and that raises important political and military questions for the Bush administration.
Here is what Ari Fleischer said at his morning session with reporters. Quote -- "There is no question the regime has lost control and that represents a great turning point for the people of Iraq, as the regime is gone." Now Ari Fleischer saying that does not mean the war is over. He says there are still some areas of Iraq under the control of Saddam Hussein loyalists and Saddam Hussein's military, so that the fighting will continue.
But certainly from a political standpoint, you remember and President Bush said it himself in that videotaped message to the Iraqi people just yesterday, "When the regime is gone, the United States has promised to step in and provide security, provide humanitarian aid, provide assistance to the Iraqi people until they can stand up a government of their own."
So from the military perspective Ari Fleischer making clear just because the regime is gone, in the view of the White House, that does not mean the war is over. But because the administration is conceding that the regime is gone, there is no central government left in the country of Iraq, the burden is now on the Bush administration to step in, provide security, provide key services and that will be the daunting challenge in the days, weeks and months ahead -- Paula.
ZAHN: So, John, were anybody be able to get more information out of him, whether it is his belief that the top Iraqi leadership is dead or as some people speculate this morning, they've all headed to Saddam Hussein's ancestral birthplace of Tikrit and they're all hold up there and maybe have some kind of last stand plan.
KING: His -- his answer was in response more to a political question, as to is any one running Iraq? The White House says it is chasing various mixed intelligence reports as to the whereabouts of Saddam Hussein and his sons, possibly to the whereabouts of other key military and government leaders inside Iraq.
Tikrit, obviously, a major focus of concern because it is the birthplace of Saddam Hussein and known as a stronghold. You heard General Brooks At the CENTCOM briefing early this morning saying they do believe some of the Iraqi leadership -- they can't say just who -- is trying to move around because of specific fierce fighting along portions of Iraq where they have seen vehicles moving. So they do believe some members of the regime are trying to escape or go into hiding. But here at the White House, they say that is not the critical issue for them. They say that is a Pentagon question. Now that there is no government, one of the concerns, of course, with all of the looting in recent days is to stand up some sort of a security apparatus until they can get this new transitional government up and running. And that is something that could take weeks, if not months.
ZAHN: John, quickly, in closing, I know you don't have a lots of time left. You need to move on. But there was a front story in "USA Today" suggesting that a number of defense and intelligence officials believe that Saddam Hussein died in the second big bombing attack close to that Monsour neighborhood and they even have -- saying a number of senior NFC officials believe he's dead. Any reaction to the White House to that or -- or maybe that specifically, exactly what they're saying today.
KING: We have been exploring just what they're telling the president on that very point and what we are told, by very reliable senior sources, is they are voicing quiet confidence that they did have him targeted at that site.
But they are saying they are stopping short because they do not have any conclusive evidence that Saddam Hussein was killed. They say it remains an open question, some intelligence sources saying they believe they did kill the Iraqi leader, others saying they believe he escaped. They say they simply do not have any conclusive evidence.
We do know this, after that bombing some evidence was taken from that site, extracted from the site and we are told it is being analyzed by U.S. intelligence agencies. So even though the fighting was still going on, somehow the United States, through its intelligence or Special Operations forces, on the ground did extract some evidence on that site that they hope will provide some clues to that, of course, quite critical question, what happened to Saddam Hussein.
ZAHN: John King, thanks so much. John reporting from the White House for us this morning.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
